Method and means for burning combustible fluids



Dec. 28 1926. 1,612,456 M. J. MARRON METHOD AND MEANS FOR BURNING COMBUSTIBLE FLUIDS Filed May 29. 1924 Patented Dec. as, was.

siren s'r'rss MICHAEL J. MARRON, O F MAMARONECK, NEIV YORK.

METHOD AND MEANS FOR BURNING COMBUSTIBLE FLUIDS.

Application filed. May 29, 1924.

My present invention relates to means for burning fluid fuels, particularly burners for fuel oil or other liquid fuels, and to methods of burning such fluid fuels, and aims to devise means and methods of the general character specified above, whereby the fuel is safely, and economically consumed, and a long, dependable and economical flame of high heat intensity and high thermal efiiciency is readily obtained by simple, dependable and easily and economically fabricated apparatus.

In the accompanying specification I shall describe, and in the annexed drawing shown, an illustrative embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention. In the accompanying specification I shall also describe an illustrative embodiment of the method of the present invention which may conveniently be practiced by means of the apparatus illustrated in the annexed drawing. It is, however, to beclearly understood that my invention is not limited to the specific embodiments thereof herein shown and described for purposes of illustration only.

Referring to the drawing, wherein I have illustrated the aforesaid illustrative embodimentof the apparatus of the present invention:

Fig. l is a view in longitudinal section,

' partly in elevation, of the apparatus comprising the aforesaid illustrative embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view, partly in elevation, of the auxiliary nozzle togetherwith the upper portion of the main part of the burner proper;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the device taken along line 33 of Fig. 1 of the drawing; and

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the device taken along line 44 of Fig. 1 of the drawing.

Referring now more particularly to the aforesaid illustrative embodiments of the present invent-ion, and more particularly to the aforesaid illustrative embodiment of the process of the present invention, in carrying out such process I burn a combustible mixture of fuel, in gas or vapor form, and an oxygen-containing gas, such as air, by causing the mixture to issue in the form of a jet while supplying the jet of the mixture so obtained witi an auxiliary supply of air er other oxygemccntaining gas. Preferably Serial No. 716,535.

the mixture is formed by passing a main jet of air or other oxygen-containing gas through a surrounding well or other source of supply of fluid fuel, such as fuel oil or other fuel in liquid form.

The auxiliary supply of air is preferably supplied to the mixture of fuel and air or other oxygen-containing gas, obtainec. as above described or otherwise, by directing towards the jet of the in ure one or more air jets. Preferably the air jet or jets are supplied to the mixture at or adjacent the point of issuance of the jet of the mixture. V v here, as is preferred, the auxiliary supply of air comprises a plurality of air jets, the air ets are preferably inclined upwardly towards the jet of the mixture.

I find that by this arrangement of the jet of the fuel mixture and the auxiliary supply of air in the form of one or more jets, a flame is obtained which is characterized by its high heat intensity and the high thermal efficiency with which the fuel is consumed. The flame itself may be made of great length and is characterized by its blue color, indicating that the fuel has been thoroughly and efliciently consumed, even where ordinary fuel oil is used as the liquid fuel.

Referring to the drawing, wherein I have illustrated the aforesaid illustrative embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, in connection with which the method of the present invention may be very successfully practiced, 10 indicates the main body portion of the burner which is channeled at 11 and is provided at its: upper end with the flanged portion or plate 12. The flanged portion or plate 12 is preferably provided with the threaded aperture 13 communicating with the channel 11 of the part 10. At 14 there is provided a slight offset or ledge which serves as a stop for the inward adjustment of the auxiliary nozzle, here indicated by reference character 40.

The lower end of the part 10, which may be in the form of a casting or may be otherwise readily and economically fabricated, is provided with the beaded portion 15 and with the nipple 16 for receiving a fitting 17 communicating with any suitable source of supply of air or other oxygen-containing gas under pressure or otherwise. The fitting 17 is externally threaded, as indicated at 17, for cooperation with the internal threads 16' sf the nipple 165 The lower portion of the member 10, here indicated by reference charthe tip of the nozzle. The nozzle 30 is pro acter 18, is internally th ended, as indicated at 18, for the reception of the screw cap or similar closure 9 which has the lower portion thereof externally threaded, as indicated at 20, for co u eration with the inter nal threads 18 of the lower end 15% of the member 10. By the removal of the screw cap 19 or equivalent, the lower end of the burner may be opened for cleaning and for the inspection or .renmval of the air nozzle 30, which will be described in greater detail herein.

Communicating with the channel or passageway 11 in the n'ien'iber 10, preferably above the body portion 15 and the nipple 16 of the lower portion of the meml'ier 10, is a nipple 21 internally threaded as indicated at 21 for the reception of the end 22 of a fitting 23, the end. being externally threaded, as indicated at 22, for cooperation with the internal threads 21' of the nipple 21. The fitting 23 communicates, by means of the nipple 2i, with any suitable source of supply of fuel oil. not here deemed necessary to be shown. It may here be stated that the admission of air to the burner through the fitting 17 from the above-doscrihed source of supply of air or other otherwise, is suitably controlled by a globe or other valve, not here deemed necessary to be shown. Similarly, the admission of oil to the burner through the nipple 2 the fitting 23 and the nipple 21 is likewise suitably controlled by a needle or otln; valve, not here deemed necessary to be shown.

Reference character 30 indicates the main air nozzle, which is preferably adjustable longitudinally of the burner, and particularly longitudinally of the passageway or channel 11 in the member 10 and longitudinally of the auxiliary nozzle 40. The air nozzle 30 is also preferably readily removable, as by removing the cap screw 19 or its equiva lent, and thereafter removing the nozzle 30 through the opening in the lower end 18 of the member 10.

While various types of construction of nozzle may be employed with more or less success in the burner of the present invention, I prefer to employ the nozzle shown more clearly in Fig. 1 of the drawing and comprising a main nozzle portion 31, 0:;- ternally tapered so as to he of externally diminishing diameter towards its outlet end, but provided with the substantially cylindrical air channel or passageway The r) 4- top of the nozzle 30, here indicated as reference character 83, is preferably of frustoconical form. and the diameter of the air discharge passage in the tip of the nozzle is preferably reduced, as indicated by reference character 34, to thereby increase the velocity with which the air discharged at vided with the lower stepped portion 35 externally threaded at 35 for cooperation with the internal threads 25 of the intermediate portion 25 of the member 10. The lower end of the burner is preferably provided with the flanged portion Elli which acts as a stop for the longitudinal ad. justment of the nozzle 10 by threading the externally threaded portion of the nozzle 30 through the threads 25 of the portion 25 of the member 10. This accomplished by having the flanged portion 36 of the nozzle 30 engage the stepped portion 26 of the member 10 in the innermost position of the nozzle 30 with respect to the member 10.

The insertion of the nozzle 30 in the manner described above, by the removal of the cap screw 19 or its equivalent, with the sub sequent return of the cap screw 19 or its equivalent to its position "losing; the end 18 of themember 10, provides within the casing 10 of the burner the air space 27 which serves a sort of air chamber the capacity of which is enlarged by the beaded portion 15 of the member 10. This air chamber 27 will be to one side of the lower end. 36 of the nozzle 30. To the other side of the lower end 36 of the nozzle 30 will be provided a well for fuel oil or the like, here designated by reference character 28.

The fuel mixture of gaseous or vaporized liquid or other fuel and air is formed by the injector action of the jet of air passing through the air nozzle 30 ant. drawing with it in its passage at the tip of the jet: vapor from the liquid fuel out of the well 28. By suitably choosing and regulating the dimensions of the nipple 24, the fitting 23 and the nipple 21, controlling the admission of oil to the burner, and the dimensions of the fitting 17 and the nipple 16 controlling the admission of air to the burner, the rate of admission of liquid fuel and air to the burner may be so fixed and determined as to render any regulation of the valves controlling the admission of liquid fuel and air to the burner superfluous and unnecessary. By choosing such dimensions. properly as may be readily determined by simple trial and experiment, or by following standard engineering practice. a flame of the desired heat intensity, efficiency and size will be automatically produced. irrespective of the exact position of the valves controlling the tNllE'llSSifil-l of liquid fuel'and air to the burner, provided such valves are open sufficiently to permit the oil well 28 to he kept more or less full of oil and the air to be forced under pressure through the air nozzle 30 in an amount sufficient to form the desired fuel mixture.

In order to make the burner thus far describe-fl function properly to produce a flame of. the desired heat intensity and thermal fund efliciency, I provide an auxiliary nozzle, here designated by reference character 40 and shown more clearly in, Fig. 2 of the drawing. The nozzle 40 is preferably, in the form of acasting which is externally, ta pered, as indicated at 41, so as to be of increasing external diameter towards its outlet end. The lower end 42 of the nozzle 40 is externally .threaded, as indicated by reference character 42, for cooperation with the internally threaded opening 13 within the flanged portion 12 of the member 10. The inlet end 43 for the mixture of fuel and air is preferably of diminishing cross-sectional area from its outer towards its inner end, as by being of frusto-conical form. It may here be noted that the taper of the inlet 43, as shown more clearly in Fig. 2 of the drawing, is somewhat greater than the taper of the frusto-conical end 33 of the air nozzle 30. Accordingly, the crosssectional area of the passageway for fuel vapors and then for the fuel mixture decreases more or less gradually from the lower end of the auxiliary nozzle 40 to the lower end of the passageway 44 formed in the auxiliary nozzle 40.

The passageway 44 is of substantially cylindrical form and connects the inlet end 43 of the auxiliary nozzle 40 with the outlet end 45 of the auxiliary nozzle. Like the inlet end 43, the outlet end 45 of the nozzle is of diminishing cross-sectional area from its outer towards its inner end where it communicates with the substantially central channel or passageway 44 of the nozzle 40.

One of the features of the present invention is the provision of an auxiliary supply of air for the jet of the mixture of fuel and air or other oxygen-containing gas, preferably adjacent the point of issuance of such Since I prefer that this auxiliary supply of air shall be in the form of one or more air jets directed towards the jet of the mixture adjacent its point of issuance, I prefer to provide the outer end 46 of the auxiliary nozzle 40 with a plurality of passageways 47 which are preferably evenly distributed circumferentially and of which eight (8) are shown in the drawing for purposes of illustration only. The channels or passages 47 are preferably inclined with respect to the issuing jet of the mixture, preferably by being upwardly and inwardly inclined. I have found that for most purposes the best angle of inclination of the air jets with respect to the jet of the mixture is about 45. The passages 47, by reason of the injector action of the fuel mixture issuing from the tip or upper portion 46 of the auxiliary nozzle 40, supply the jet of the mixture with an auxiliary source of air, here shown as being in the form of a plurality of inwardly and upwardly inclined air jets serving to direct the auxiliary supply of air towards the jet of the mixtureadjacent the point of issuance thereof.

The assembly and operation of the burner described above will be clear from the fore going description and may be briefly summarized as follows: The fittings 17 and 23, which latter includes the nipple 24, are screwed into the member 10. The air nozzle30;,is1now inserted through the opening in the lower portion 18 of the member and is screwed into the member 10 the required distance-for mosteflicient operation, as may be readily determined by simple trial and experiment. The screw cap 20 isnow screwed into the member 10, thusclosing the lower endof the burner. The auxiliary nozzle is now screwed into, place and the burner isready for operation by opening the valves controlling the admission of air and liquid fuel to the burner.

The passage of air under pressure into the burner through the air chamber 20 and thence through the air nozzle 30, creates, by a sort of injector action, the necessary degree of suction to draw vapors from the liquid fuel or the like within the oil well 28 to thus form the mixture of fuel and air. This mixture enters the inlet end 43 of the auxiliary nozzle 40. By reason of the diminishing area of the inlet 43 from the outer towards the inner portion of the inlet 43, where communication is had with the substantially central passageway 44 of the auxiliary nozzle 40, the air and fuel are intimately mixed and are forced at the desired speed through the passageway 44.

The issuance of the jet of fuel and air into the outlet 45 of the auxiliary nozzle 40, likewise by a sort of injector action, draws air from the channels 47 thus directing the auxiliary supply of air towards the jet of the mixture adjacent the point of is suance thereof. In the form shown, there will be a plurality of air jets constituting the auxiliary supply of air, these air jets being upwardly and inwardly inclined and directing their jets towards the jet of the mixture adjacent the point of issuance thereof.

The result is a flame of high heat intensity and remarkable thermal efficiency, the dimensions and thermal characteristics of which are automatically predetermined by the dimensions of the various passages of the burner proper and of the inlets for air and fuel communicating with the burner. The burner yields a flame characterized by its blue color indicating substantially perfect combustion. The intensity of the flame is so great that it may be used not only for heating water, but also for producing steam quickly and efficiently.

The process by which the fuel is consumed in the burner serves to bring about the high heat intensity and the high thermal eiiiciency incidental to the operation of the burner. The burner itself is very simple in construction and may be simply and economically fabricated for wide distribution in the market, where it finds a ready demand. The burner is particularly useful in forced draftwork in connection with the means described and claimed in my copending application tiled of even date herewith and entitled Method and means for burning liquid fuels and the like.

What I claim is my invention is:

A liquid fuel burner comprising a casing provided with separate gas and liquid inlets and a common outlet, a liquid fuel nozzle mounted in the casing and serving to define with the walls of the casing a concentric gas conduit, and an auxiliary nozzle mounted in advance of the main nozzle, said auxiliary nozzle being provided with a central longitudinal conduit for receiving and mixing the fluids discharged from the casing, said conduit being unrestricted throughout its length and terminating in inlet and outlet portions of tapered cross-sectional areas, the inlet portion of the conduit being gradually reduced in diameter and the outlet portion being gradually increased in diameter with respect to the direction of fluid flow, the tapered walls of the outlet portion being provided with radially disposed inclined air passages for the admission of auxiliary air to the fluid stream.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 23rd day of April, 1924:.

- MICHAEL J. MARRON. 

